Cosatu serves secondary strike notices

2010-08-26 14:09

I-Net Bridge

Johannesburg - The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said on Thursday all its affiliated unions had served seven-day notices for a secondary strike, which threatens to bring the country's economy to a halt.

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has warned that the secondary strike will totally shut down the economy.

Cosatu said its central executive committee fully supports the public service workers' strike and has agreed to mobilise all Cosatu unions in solidarity action.

The union federation said it continued to urge the government to return to the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) with a new offer capable of settling the dispute that has led to the strike.

Government is offering a 7% wage increase and a R700 housing allowance, but unions are demanding an 8.6% wage increase and R1 000 housing allowance.

Meanwhile, The South African Security Forces Union (Sasfu) said on Thursday that soldiers planned to embark on marches in major cities in an effort to add pressure on the government to improve its wage offer for public servants, but police have lost their bid to partake in mass action.

Bhekinkosi Mvovo, Sasfu's president, said the union will decide on Sunday when its 12 000 members will embark on marches in major cities.

Mvovo said the union today served municipalities in Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth with notices of marches.

Norman Mampane, spokesperson for the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Organisation (Popcru), confirmed that police were not participating in the mass marches throughout the country on Thursday following a court interdict preventing them from doing so.

Comments

Zim here we go!!
-
2010-08-26 15:00

Ja strike- thats all these poop people can do and are use to!! Nice life- welcome to ZimAfrica!!

Shrek
-
2010-08-26 15:31

You go Vavi you good thing you. You show the world that Cosatu is boss and that you don't need their investments & job creation in SA. Vavia is delighted to see his fellow South Africans still living in shacks without water, electricity, sanitation.

It's Just an Opinion
-
2010-08-26 21:21

Patrick Craven – Margaret Thatcher kicked the likes of you and your unions into touch. I do believe that you are from the UK (and not South Africa) your accent gives it away! When will the good people of South Africa see through you and your unions and realise that the only role you play in our economy is to create a profitable market for yourselves! I have yet to see union bosses and their lap dogs strike for more pay. Terrorist tactics by your union members (hitting soft targets like hospitals and schools) should make them all proud to be hero’s of the struggle for more money – shame on you all!! Our President has gone into exile hoping the country will be a better place to live once this all blows over. I have a faint recollection of this having happened in the past!!! Children go to bed cold and hungry as they have no means to sustain themselves. Our Aged has no frail care. Unemployed people (REGARDLESS OF COLOUR) stand hopeless at a robot begging for hand outs. Crime, Rape, Murder are the order of the day yet you chose to stand on a soap box, ignorant of what the real issues are, and through your selfish and criminal behaviour ignore the plight of these people who would embellish a union to fight their cause. We know this would never happen as unions are self gratifying, money grabbing, greedy, manipulating, uneducated, ignorant, arrogant leaches who are hell bent on ruining what could be a wonderful country. I believe the unions answer to all our problems is to print more money. OH MY GOODNESS, I FEAR I MAY HAVE SOWN A SEED IN THE IDIOTS BRAINS! First you stop the greed, the rest will come! Dig a big hole, put all unions and the like in it and let South Africa thrive!

Shorts
-
2010-08-27 08:26

You militant, communist, activist thugs. You and your politically driven thieving ANC cadre comrades are no different to each other. To all of you democracy means getting what you want at any cost, irrespective of the constitutional rights of others who do not support your cause. The perceived power of all the trade unions like you need to be shattered, once & for all, otherwise this country is faced with ongoing, increasingly unrealistic demands from people & organisations who don't actually know the meaning of hard work, to the complete & utter detriment of those who do. At moment it is these that do that are keeping this country going because of their efforts & constructive interactions, but this cannot be sustained indefinitely.

Diggy
-
2010-08-27 12:23

Up Up Vavi, down down Nyathi and the others. It is a shame that things are like this. But for good things to happen someone has to die/crucified. If the union are not acting on behalf of the public servant who will do. Zuma and his cabinet are fithy rich and braging, All Zuma 's family, girlfriends and children owns businesses and tenders. How long will this go on.Yes i respect life and feel sorry for the patients and school children. Zuma has to cut of the salaries of the MP and pay the public servant and act vigoriously to fight corruption.If not this strike may end now but will start again within months. The law that MP are not allowed to participate in government tenders was really good and effective. Is time Zuma realised that he messed up by chaninging it. All MP are getting fat and filthy rich. Go Go Zuma is time you vanished with your extended family. You never had the characteristics of a leader from the beginning, You suppose to be in jail.

andzo
-
2010-08-29 15:12

Thats what happens when we elect thugs into power. We only have ourselves to blame.Why is it that none of the MPs are not offering to cut even 10% off their salaries. As long as they have big cheques at the end of the month its business as usual for them. No body cares for the hard working health care workers who cant even afford a housing subsidy, my God how is that even posible. Green, inhumanity corruptions lack of ethics is the root of the problem in this country. We need a new government. Zille i think im voting for u next time. Maybe u might bring something new to this country